92 DUTCH BULBS AND GARDENS 



days of March, and ending with the late-blooming 

 May varieties well on in that month. There is 

 one rare specimen of tulip from Central Asia, 

 Tulipa kaufmanniana, which flowers in Holland 

 in February, but as yet this is not widely grown. 

 It is, unfortunately, necessary to cut off the flower 

 heads of all varieties, excepting such as are being 

 saved for seed, before their beauty is quite spent. 

 Happily, however, the cutting does not have to be 

 done too soon after the opening, unless the weather 

 is very rainy. Wet engenders some disease in the 

 flower, which goes downwards and infects the roots 

 unless the blooms are cut off in time. They are 

 usually cut stalkless, really beheaded ; rows ot 

 them so treated are rather a woful sight, although 

 the delicate colour of their broad leaves makes the 

 gardens where they are still beautiful. In June 

 they are taken out of the ground. The new 

 young bulbs are found to be developed from 

 within the old, which gradually shrivel away to 

 give room to the young ; in the end there is 

 nothing of the parent left but a few hard scales, 

 which can be removed by hand. 



New varieties are usually raised from seed, 

 though some are sports ; there is at Haarlem one 

 such now, a fine yellow tulip, which, a few years 



